Roasted beet & orange hummus

Summertime is the perfect time for easy, light and refreshing recipes, because who wants to sit in the kitchen over a hot stove for hours when it’s 25 degrees outside, right?

So we like to eat a lot of dips and salsas and such during the summer months. They’re great, because they’re quick to put together and you can eat them with bread, crackers, veggies, or chips. Plus, you can make them and keep them in the fridge for a few days or a week depending on what it is.

Last week I played around with a beet hummus. I have made many of them before, but I wanted to do something a little different for this one and totally out of my comfort zone. Normally I add a lot of herbs and pepper and try to counteract the sweetness of the beets, but this time I decided to enhance it instead.

And it is lovely.

It really turned out great, to my surprise – because you know me and sweet stuff.

Here is my newest recipe, roasted beet and orange hummus.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of cubed beets, roasted

1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup tahini

1-2 garlic cloves*

1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1 tsp orange zest + a sprinkle for garnish

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil* + 1 tbsp. (EVOO)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. finely chopped parsley for garnish

*Special Note: I like a lot of garlic, so I use 2 sometimes 3 cloves; but one will suffice for the recipe unless you’re like me. You can add more EVOO if you want a thinner hummus, use your discretion.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425F.

Cube the beets (doesn’t have to be perfect), toss in 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45-60 min. or until they’ve started to soften. Once the beets are done, pull them out of the oven and let cool.

Once the beets are cool, add all the ingredients (except the salt and pepper), the beets, chickpeas, tahini, garlic clove(s), olive oil, orange juice and zest to food processor or high-powered blender and pulse until combined and you have the consistency that you like. I you would like it to be a little thinner, just add a bit more extra virgin olive oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with orange zest and parsley, and serve with pita bread, crackers or veggies.

Don’t be afraid to tweak the recipe to your own personal tastes – you can always adjust the amounts of the ingredients to create the recipe that is perfect for you.